Combining a bunch of super scrumptious (and super affordable) ingredients and then coating them in almond bark and powdered sugar, this recipe keeps even the most prolific of sweet teeth satisfied.
It’s sort of similar to Chex Mix Muddy Buddies, but way cheaper to produce. You can make about 10 lbs of this delicious treat per dollar you invest, which is quite the bounty!
A word of warning, though; this stuff is sweet, like… crazy sweet! It’s devilishly moreish, but if you value the animal on your teeth and want to limit the sugar buzz and subsequent crash, you’ll take it easy when digging in.
If you plan on giving it to kids (they love it!), be sure to hand it out sparingly, as it’s pretty indulgent.
But that’s enough of a preamble, we believe. Let’s dive into this fantastic creation, starting with a brief explanation of its interesting name.
Why Is It Called White Trash Snack Mix?
As you might expect, there are a few different theories doing the rounds pertaining to this snack mix’s name.
The most accurate answer we could dig up is that, traditionally, massive quantities of this snack were produced by decanting all the ingredients into a trash bag containing powdered sugar and shaking it around to get a good coat going.
The name also refers to the fact that most of the ingredients are knockoffs — No brand name goods allowed! This is why it’s thought of as the poor man’s Chex Mex.
White Trash Snack Mix: Recipe Overview
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 5 minutes
Servings: 24
Calories: 276.7
White Trash Snack Mix: Ingredients
We’re almost ready to get started (yay!), but first, we have to amass all the necessary ingredients, all of which are dirt cheap and easy to come by.
1 cup of powdered sugar, or if you’ll be weighing it out, 125 grams
1 pack or 12 oz of almond bark. Don’t sweat it if you can’t get hold of any, as white chocolate chips are a fitting substitute.
3 cups or 120 grams of rice square cereal, the cheaper, the better
3 cups or 120 grams of corn square cereal, again, the cheaper, the better
3 cups or 120 grams of oat cereal, the cheap stuff
2 cups or 84 grams of pretzels. Dealer’s choice regarding sticks or minis
2 cups or 84 grams of m&ms-style candy
1 cup or 125 grams of powdered sugar
White Trash Snack Mix: Step-By-Step Instructions
Gathered all the essentials? Amazing. Let’s get down to business!
Step 1: Measure out your rice square, corn square, and oat cereals, then combine them in a large mixing bowl, or if you’d like to honor the name of this snack, a large plastic bag… Just make sure the bag is clean.
Step 2: Measure out your pretzels then add them to the bowl or bag with your cereal.
Step 3: Measure out your almond bark, pop it into a microwave safe bowl, then microwave on a medium setting for 30 seconds.
Step 4: Remove the almond bark from the microwave and stir it for about 10 seconds. At this point in time, it should just be starting to melt.
Step 5: Replace the almond bark in the microwave and heat for a further 10 seconds, then remove and stir. Continue this process until fully melted. Resist the urge to rush and heat the almond bark for longer periods or on higher settings, as it burns very easily. Take it slow, and everything will be just fine!
You’re looking at something to the tune of 1–3 minutes depending on the power and quality of your microwave, but you can speed things up a bit by breaking the bark into smaller chunks before getting started.
Alternative for steps 3, 4, & 5:You could also do it the old-fashioned way if your microwave isn’t up to snuff or you simply don’t have one.
Fill a third of a small pan with water then get it on the stove. Place your bark into a heatproof bowl that rests against the rim of the pan, then stir continuously as the heat rising from the water melts the bark. Once fully melted, remove it from the heat.
Step 6: Take your bowl of melty almond bark and pour it all into the cereal bowl/bag. If using a bowl, grab a wooden spoon to stir the melted bark in, making sure to get good coverage throughout the cereal and pretzel mix.
If you’ve chosen to use a bag, give it all a good shake and take a peek inside. If you’ve achieved a good spread with the bark, you’re done. If not, give it another shake.
Step 7: Measure out your candy, then pour it into your bowl or bag. Feel free to reduce or increase the amount of candy to get the candy:cereal ratio just right for you.
Step 8: Prepare your powdered sugar, then throw it into your bowl or bag as you did the candy.
Step 9: For the bowl peeps out there, use your wooden spoon to stir the powdered sugar into the mix until it’s spread evenly throughout. For baggers, you’ve guessed it… give it another vigorous shake, allowing the sugar to filter through and stick to each and every pretzel and piece of cereal — Yum!
Step 10: Dig in!!!
Recipe Notes – You’ll notice that we didn’t include any wheat cereals in our recipe, while a lot of others do. This was by design, as we think this amazing treat should be for all, and thus have tried our best to keep it gluten-free.
However, if you are a gluten dodger, be sure to pick up gluten-free pretzels specifically.
If you can’t find any, you can go ahead and leave them out, but our advice in this scenario is to add a sprinkle of sea salt, as the salt from the pretzels goes a long way in evening out the sweetness of this snack mix.
The candy isn’t at all an essential ingredient, and many will of course find white trash snack mix to be sweet enough without it. It does, however, add an extra textural element that helps make a more diverse mix and more enjoyable snacking experience.
When it comes to choosing your cereals, avoid sugar coated options like the plague. You’re going to add tons of sugar to this snack mix during the preparation process, so pre-sugared goods are just overkill.
White Trash Snack Mix: Nutrition
Serving Size: 1 oz
Calories per Serving: 276.7
Fat: 13g (20% of daily allowance)
Saturated Fat: 7.8g (49% of daily allowance)
Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.1g
Monounsaturated Fat: 0.1g
Sodium: 132.3mg (6% of daily allowance)
Carbohydrates: 34.4g (11% of daily allowance)
Fiber: 1g (4% of daily requirement)
Protein: 2.7g (5% of daily requirement)
Side Note — Allowances/requirements based on 2000 calorie diet
Final Thoughts
White trash snack mix is an amazing on-the-go pick-me-up snack, perfect for road trips, long shifts, or even as a tasty, easy dessert after you’ve had your dinner. Don’t get too addicted though, as the one thing this snack ain’t, is good for you.
Have you ever made something so delicious that you wished you could savor it forever?
Only to find that the recipe has now mysteriously vanished from your phone and the entirety of the internet. Yep, there’s not much more painful than that.
Hi, my name is Mark Williams and I have been infatuated with cooking since I was young. I would beg my mother to pull a chair up to the counter so I could watch what she was doing.
